Get tips on how to cover science-related issues when science isn’t your beat, Jan. 14
Do you find that some science issues you need to write about are more complicated than they first appear to be? Do you want to go beyond a handout from the CDC, but aren’t sure who you can call for a quick backgrounder since this is not your usual beat?
Learn how to decipher the science from an expert panel of veteran journalists on Wednesday, Jan.14 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Bloomberg Room.
Members and the public may register now to attend this Professional Development Committee event. Click here to register.
Washington-based journalists who cover Congress, policy issues or politics in general often encounter news that requires writing areas outside their expertise, such as science, health or environmental policy.
With a "how-to" focus, journalists Kathryn Foxhall and Seth Borenstein of The Associated Press will give reporters tips they can use immediately. Scientist Dr. Gretchen Goldman will offer guidance on talking to experts. Celia Wexler, former journalist, non-fiction book author and now lobbyist for the Union of Concerned Scientists, will moderate.
About the panelists:
Foxhall will share how she gets information form experts at the CDC when access is limited. She will give her workarounds and tell you what journals to read to find out which experts are writing what and where, so you can go to them directly. Foxhall has been crusading with the Society of Professional Journalists for media access within federal agencies, having organized a letter signed by 48 groups, including RTDNA, IRE, the Regional Reporters Association, the Sunlight Foundation, SEJ and the National Press Foundation, that was sent to the White House this summer.
Borenstein, an award-winning science reporter for AP in Washington, is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors. He has a First Amendment Award from the Fort Worth, Texas, Chapter of Society of Professional Journalists for use of public records in investigative reporting, and was part of the reporting team at The Miami Herald that investigated the cause of the 2003 Columbia space shuttle accident over Texas as it was headed to landing at Cape Canaveral, coverage that was a finalist in the Pulitzer Prize Breaking News category in 2004. He is an adjunct professor of journalism and society at the Washington, D.C., campus of New York University.
Goldman, in her role as a lead analyst at the Center for Science and Democracy at UCS, researches how science is used and misused in public policy. She has been quoted in the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, CNN.com, National Journal, The Guardian, Politico and The Hill. She serves on the Air and Climate Public Advisory Committee for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
Wexler, in her role at UCS, Club member and Professional Development Committee vice chair, advocates for transparency, accountability and scientific integrity at federal agencies, and works to protect federal scientist whistleblowers. She is author of “Out of the News: Former Journalists Discuss a Profession in Crisis.”
For more information, please email Professional Development Committee Chair Amy Fickling at [email protected].